Behavioural Perspective of leadership - Essay Example

A majority of such leadership theories have focused on the study of characteristics of the leaders and the manner in which they behave. The impact of leadership behavior on organizational performance has been studied extensively since the past four decades, by practitioners and academics alike (Cannella and Rowe, 1995; Giambatista, 2004). This is mainly because of the widespread belief, that the leadership behavior displayed by the leaders in organizations is regarded, by some researchers as crucial to achievement of organizational goals and in motivating the employees to enhance productivity (Berson et al.

, 2001; Zacharatos et al., 2000). The behavioral leadership theory evolved during the Second World War, focuses mainly on the human relationships along with, organizational performance and productivity. This theory proposed that the behavior of the leaders has a significant influence on organizational performance and the effectiveness of the workers. Two most important studies with regard to leadership behavior include the study conducted at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan during the 1940s and 1950s.

These studies highlighted two distinct categories of leadership behavior based on their individual leadership styles namely: the people-oriented leadership behavior and the task-oriented leadership behavior (Leadership in Organizational Settings, Pp. 287). The former category / cluster focuses on the employee tasks and the methods used to achieve the same, while the latter, focuses on the personal needs and requirements of the employees / workers, and the need for enhancing their interpersonal relationships.

The people centered leadership style emphasizes on the people by listening to the suggestions of the employees, grant them personal favors, support them whenever needed and treat them with equality while the task oriented